The present disclosure relates to combustion-driven jet actuators that can be used for flow control.
Flow control is important in many aerodynamic and industrial applications. In recent years, attempts have been made to control flow through the use of fluidic devices such as jet actuators. It is hoped that use of such devices will one day yield advantageous results in various aerodynamic applications. For instance, it is anticipated that such devices could be used to increase lift, increase thrust, or reduce drag in aerodynamic vehicles. In addition, such devices may be used to manipulate internal flows through, for example, conduits and the like.
Although several different jet actuators have been developed or suggested, impediments still exist to their use in real world applications. One such impediment is the relatively low power generated by such devices. Jet actuators have been studied for years at low speeds, but little work has been conducted which would suggest that such devices could be used at high speeds due to the low power these actuators produce.
Another impediment to the implementation of jet actuators is the cost of their fabrication and/or operation relative to the cost savings they would provide in use. In other words, the complexity of the actuators should not be so great as to increase costs to the point where it is more costly to include and/or operate such devices despite the aerodynamic advantages they provide.
From the foregoing, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have an efficient, high power jet actuator of simple design with which flow can be controlled.
The present disclosure relates to a flow control system, comprising a controller, an ignition device whose activation is controlled by the controller, a combustion-driven jet actuator, and a fuel source in fluid communication with the jet actuator that supplies fuel to the jet actuator. Typically, the jet actuator comprises a combustion chamber, an orifice that serves as an outlet for combustion products emitted from the combustion chamber, and at least one inlet through which fuel is supplied to the chamber for combustion. In use, the combustion-driven jet actuator can emit jets of fluid at predetermined frequencies.
With the apparatus described above, flow can be controlled. Accordingly, the present disclosure further relates to a method for controlling flow, comprising providing a combustion-driven jet actuator having a combustion chamber, an orifice that serves as an outlet for combustion products emitted from the combustion chamber, and at least one inlet through which fuel is supplied to the chamber for combustion, and igniting the fuel within the combustion chamber to cause fluid jets to be emitted from the jet actuator which are used to control flow.
The features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.